Microsoft Excel is now free to use on your iPad. You don’t need other apps or office suites to view and edit your Excel spreadsheets. You also don’t need an Office 365 subscription for this. The Microsoft Excel app on your iPad can connect with your Dropbox so that it can access your Excel spreadsheets from the cloud.

Steps

Part 1

Downloading Microsoft Excel

1

Launch the App Store. Tap the App Store on your iPad to launch it.

2

Search for the Microsoft Excel app. Type in “Excel” on the search field and tap the search button to begin.

3

Download the Microsoft Excel app. Locate and select the correct app from the results. Tap the “Install” button beside the app. It’s free.

4

Launch the Microsoft Excel app. Locate the app on your iPad. It has an app icon carrying the MS Excel logo. Tap on it to launch it.

5

Sign in. Even without needing an Office 365 subscription, you will still need a Microsoft account to use the app. You can use your Outlook.com, OneDrive, Skype, Windows 8, Xbox Live, or other Microsoft accounts to log in.

Tap the Sign In box on the upper left corner of the app.

Enter your Microsoft account email address on the field provided then tap the “Next” button.

Enter your corresponding password in the next field, and tap the “Sign In” button.

The app will connect with Microsoft and validate your credentials. Once done, it will activate the Microsoft Excel app for your account. It’s now ready to use.

Part 2

Connect to Dropbox

1

Go to your account. If you use your Dropbox to store your spreadsheets, you have to connect it first with the Microsoft Excel app in order for it to access them. Tap the box with your username on the upper left corner to bring up your account window.

2

Add a service. In the account window, under the Connected Services section, tap on the “Add a Service” text. This will bring up the list of cloud services currently supported by the Microsoft Excel app.

Tap on “Dropbox” from this list.

3

Allow it to link to Dropbox. If you have Dropbox installed on your iPad, all you have to do is tap the “Allow” button to connect it to the Microsoft Excel app.

If you don’t have Dropbox on your iPad or if you would like to use another Dropbox account, tap on the “Use a different account” text. The link will bring you to Dropbox’s website where you need to sign in to link it with the Microsoft Excel app.

Once Dropbox has authorized access, the Microsoft Excel app can now access the files and folders in your Dropbox.

Part 3

Opening MS Excel Spreadsheets from Dropbox

1

Open Dropbox as the source location. Tap the “Open” button on the left panel menu then tap “Dropbox” as the source location.

2

Find the spreadsheet. Your Dropbox file and folder directory will be displayed on another panel. You can navigate through this to search for your spreadsheet. Tap on the folders until you see your file.

3

Load the spreadsheet. Once you see your file, tap on it. It will be downloaded and loaded to the Microsoft Excel app. You can now view and edit it from here.